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Crystal®, The World’s Most Awarded Luxury Cruise Line™, has expanded its presence in the Pacific region with the opening of a dedicated corporate office. Based in Sydney, the office will represent Crystal Cruises®, Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises™, Crystal River Cruises™, Crystal Residences™, Crystal Luxury Air™ and Crystal AirCruises™. “This full-service office manages sales, marketing, finance and reservations for the Australia and New Zealand markets and above all, we are here to service the needs of our travel trade partners.” — KAREN CHRISTENSEN Senior Vice President & Managing Director Australia & New Zealand
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Cruise W E E K L Y Cruise Weekly today Cruise Weekly today features three pages of all the latest cruise industry news plus a front full page wrap from Crystal Cruises.
Viking 2018/19 plans AUSSIE cruisers can expect to see Viking Ocean Cruises make regular port calls in Sydney in future years, with govt filings indicating seven visits have been assigned to the cruise line, so far. Viking boss Torstein Hagan has already revealed Viking Spirit, due for completion in Jun 2018, will visit Sydney in her maiden season but dates had not been specified. But Port of Sydney records show Viking is holding space at White Bay Terminal on 16 Dec, 12 Jan, 09 Feb, 11 Feb (at Point Piper Buoy), 09 Mar and 10 Mar (Athol Bay) over the 2018/19 season. Viking Sun is already scheduled to visit the NSW capital on 11 Feb 2018 as part of a world cruise.
Seabourn Syd homeport
ULTRA-LUXURY cruise line Seabourn will be the most lavish small ship operator to make Sydney a homeport during the Australian 2019/20 wave season. According to NSW Port Authority cruise schedules, Seabourn has blocked space to operate seven sailings from Sydney’s White Bay Terminal and Overseas Passenger Terminal over the 2018/19 season, currently penned in for Seabourn Odyssey and sister-ship Seabourn Sojourn. In a further capacity onslaught, the cruise line’s brand new 600-guest Seabourn Encore (see page two) will grace Australasian shores in late 2018 for a third successive season. Maintaining a presence here in late 2019 & into 2020, Seabourn has locked in a further seven slots in Sydney Harbour (currently held by Seabourn Odyssey), in a move that suggests Sydney will act as a homeport for the luxury line.
Brightman christens Encore
ACCLAIMED English soprano, actress, musician and songwriter Sarah Brightman was bestowed with the privilege of officially naming Seabourn’s first new ship in seven years, Seabourn Encore, at a gala event in Singapore on Sat. She is pictured with Seabourn
Tuesday 10 Jan 2017
Encore’s Captain Mark Dexter and president Rick Meadows having just activated a lever that triggered a ceremonial bottle of champagne which smashed across the bow of the 600-guest ship before it disembarked from Marina Bay Cruise Centre.
Seabourn president Rick Meadows told CW there was a healthy appetite from Seabourn’s guests for new destinations, and with an average returning pax rate of 50%, Australasia provides an opportunity for growth. He said past and future sailings in Australia and New Zealand had sold well out of this market, and from other high source regions. Seabourn’s fly/cruise market is also booming for Australasia itineraries, Meadows told CW. Seabourn is the first high-end small ship cruise liner to signal its intention for the local market with a seasonal deployment. Other cruise companies in the same luxe space include Silversea, Ponant & Azamara, while Scenic & Crystal will add further capacity to the sector in future years. Questioned if Seabourn was concerned about the increased capacity in the sector as a whole and vying for passenger business, Meadows said it was important to consider the size and scale of the luxury travel market. “In our view, we feel there is still tremendous, tremendous opportunity in the very top end of the market to grow.” “You look all around the world and consider the number of highend resorts that are being built. “It just goes to show the strength at that end of the market”. More from Meadows in Thu’s issue of Cruise Weekly.
Crystal Aussie office THE dedicated Crystal corporate office in Sydney is up and running, representing Crystal Cruises, Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises, Crystal River Cruises, Crystal Residences, Crystal Luxury Air and Crystal AirCruises. Managing sales, marketing, finance and reservations for the Australia and New Zealand markets, the full-service office marks the expansion of the brands in the Pacific region. For more, see the cover page.
Seabourn assessing medallion technology SEABOURN boss Rick Meadows says the luxe cruise line is already assessing how it can best utilise the latest smart technology for its passengers, revealed last week by parent firm, Carnival Corporation. Dubbed the Ocean Medallion, the new wearable tech will enable the streamlining of embarkation and disembarkation processes, unlock guests’ staterooms, allow them to pay for products while on board a cruise and more. Carnival Corporation’s Princess Cruises will be the first brand to debut the ‘xiOS’ platform in Nov aboard Regal Princes (CW Thu). Meadows said Seabourn was also keen to implement the product aboard its fleet of four ships, in due course. “We’re very excited about the product. It’s a game-changer for the cruise industry,” he said.
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cruise W E E K L Y
Tuesday 10 Jan 2017
“Golden age of cruising” THERE’S never been a better time to cruise than now, Carnival Corporation ceo Arnold Donald said in Singapore on Sat at the christening of Seabourn Encore. “This is the golden age of cruising” he told around 1,200 people at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre, including 600 passengers about to embark on Encore’s first voyage to Australia and 450-odd who were on sister-ship Seabourn Sojourn which was also docked in the Lion City. “These are the greatest days the cruise industry and cruise passengers have ever known,” Donald told the audience. The cruise industry heavyweight said it was estimated 25 million people globally would cruise this year, and roughly half that figure would take a cruise on a Carnival Corporation ship, which spanned brands such as Princess Cruises, Seabourn, Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Cunard, Costa and P&O Cruises. “Our ships sailing today are marvels of modern design and engineering and certainly Encore is a prime example,” he remarked. “In the past four years we have seen tremendous advances in technology to improve the safety, efficiency, the comfort and just the plain fun of our ships. “But every few years, those advances take a great leap forward with a ship that breaks the mould. “The introduction of state-of-
the-art new ships like Encore are milestones that make these the greatest days, as each marks a new chapter in the evolution of our fleet and the evolution of cruising,” he said. Summarising the cruise industry in its current form Donald explained to the audience that “cruising is the most unique, comfortable and sophisticated mode of travel that there is today. “No matter where you want to go and how you like to travel, chances are we have a cruise that will take you. “Who else can create a vacation where you wake up in your own bed every morning, to find the world outside has changed. “We are your hotel, your dining room, your transportation, your nightly entertainment and every day we give you front row seats to the most amazing places in the world,” Donald concluded.
Ponant steel cutting LAST week the first sheet of steel for Ponant’s first of four new yachts, Le Lapérouse was cut in Vard’s Tulcea shipyard in Romania. Le Lapérouse and Le Champlain are set to be deployed in European waters for the Apr-Oct 2018 season and the other two will follow in 2019. The ice class vessels will be 131m in length, with 92 cabins and suites and 110 crew.
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Aussie & Kiwis at Encore gala
A SELECT group of Seabourn’s leading travel agents from around the globe were privy to a tour and lunch around the brand new luxurious Seabourn Encore and christening of the vessel last weekend in Singapore. Agents from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and down under were present to be among the first to explore the sixstar ship which was handed over to Seabourn on 30 Nov and has already operated two voyages. A handful of Australian and Kiwi agents were participating, with many telling Cruise Weekly they were excited about the product. Phil Hoffmann Travel owner Phil Hoffmann said the 600-guest ship was a great sized vessel that would suit affluent Aussie cruisers looking for a bespoke experience. With Seabourn fixated on a local deployment in Australia, (see page one) there are potential opportunities for the vessel to be chartered by the likes of Cruiseco in the future, Hoffmann said. Pictured at Marina Bay Cruise Centre for the christening of Seabourn Encore from left are David Brandon, Savenio; Lisa Wright, Travel Associates; Michael Londregan, Virtuoso; Joseph O’Sullivan, BrochureNet (NZ); Murray Sinfield, Home Travel Company; Seabourn Encore Captain Mark Dexter; Melinda Gregor, Gregor & Lewis; Robyn Sinfield, Home Travel Company (back); Leanne Chard, Helloworld;
Donal O’Sullivan, BrochureNet (NZ); Ewan Macdonald, NZ Herald; Tony Archbold, Seabourn director of sales, Australia and Jennifer Compton, Seabourn Aus.
PORTHOLE NOT many ships can boast having the President-elect’s nod of approval, but Seabourn Sojourn is clearly a favourite in the eyes of Donald Trump. CW spotted this 2015 plaque aboard Sojourn last weekend having won a Six-Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, as officiated by the “Ambassador Extraordinaire” himself.
Website: www.cruiseweekly.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: info@cruiseweekly.com.au
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W E E K L Y
Tuesday 10 Jan 2017
Cruise Calendar
Ovation artistically captured
This week’s port calls of cruise ships at various destinations around Australia and New Zealand. SYDNEY Emerald Princess Sea Princess Pacific Pearl Celebrity Solstice Seven Sea Voyager Explorer of the Seas Pacific Eden Maasdam Carnival Spirit Dawn Princess
10 Jan 11 Jan 11 Jan 12 Jan 12 Jan 13 Jan 13 Jan 15 Jan 16 Jan 16 Jan
MELBOURNE Golden Princess Maasdam Pacific Jewel Celebrity Solstice Seven Sea Voyager
12 Jan 12 Jan 13 Jan 14 Jan 14 Jan
BRISBANE Legend of the Seas Azamara Quest Sea Princess Pacific Aria Pacific Dawn
10 Jan 11 Jan 12 Jan 15 Jan 16 Jan
CAIRNS Europa
16 Jan
DARWIN Europa Sun Princess
11 Jan 15 Jan
FREMANTLE Astor
13 Jan
HOBART Maasdam Golden Princess
10 Jan 14 Jan
AUCKLAND Dawn Princess Noordam Ovation of the Seas Sea Princess Radiance of the Seas
12 Jan 14 Jan 14 Jan 15 Jan 16 Jan
Voyages to Cuba 17/18 AEGEAN Odyssey will call the Caribbean and Cuba home during the 2017/18 winter season. Voyages to Antiquity promised the program “will explore the history and tales of the Caribbean in a way never done before by a cruise line”. Full details will be announced in coming weeks.
Mermaid on Dream
A TRADITIONAL ‘giving back’ ceremony took place aboard the Ovation of the Seas in Sydney yesterday as marine artist Stan Stefaniak presented captain Henrik Loy with an original painting of the ship. The tradition dates back to 2011 when Radiance of the Seas first visited Sydney and yesterday marked the fifth such commission that Stefaniak has received. The gift honours the captain and crew aboard each ship to visit as a sign of gratitude from the local Royal Caribbean team.
Duchess 2017 brox AMERICAN Queen Steamboat Company has released the 2017 brochure for its new vessel, American Duchess. The 166-guest paddlewheeler will boast the largest accommodation on the Mississippi River when it is introduced in Jun. Itineraries include the six-day Roundtrip New Orleans, nine-day Memphis to Nashville and 23-day New Orleans to Red Wing. To view the brox, CLICK HERE.
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The event took place at a peak time for Ovation of the Seas with a spokesperson for the ship telling Cruise Weekly that sales for the season through to Feb will regularly see over 4,000 guests each departure with 75% coming from the Australian market alone. Pictured from left are: Adam Armstrong md Australia and New Zealand, Royal Caribbean Cruises; Stan Stefaniak, marine artist and Captain Henrik Loy, Ovation of the Seas.
Crystal steel cuttings THE ceremonial start of construction of Crystal River Cruises’ Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel is underway, marked by the cutting of the first piece of steel in Germany yesterday. Scheduled to sail in spring 2018, the structurally identical vessels will be approximately 135m long and will cruise the Rhine, the Danube, the Main & the Moselle. MEANWHILE, Crystal has expanded its Crystal Clear Choices savings on select 2018 itineraries, including a round-trip from Sydney - CLICK HERE for more.
A “PROFESSIONAL mermaid” will be on board Genting Dream’s five-night cruise on 22 Jan. “Mermaid Kat” will be the Dreamscapes guest speaker on the vessel and will tell the story of how she “turned into a mermaid and made it her full time profession”.
The Strand culinary STRAND Cruise’s first culinarythemed cruise will be led by the Strand’s new exec chef, Christian Martena and Michelin starred guest chef, Sylvain Royer. The four-night voyage through Myanmar from Bagan to Mandalay will depart on 13 Mar.
SuperStar new trip HONG Kong, Manila and Kaohsiung will be connected in a new itinerary for SuperStar Virgo launched by Star Cruises. The five-night Jewels of the South China Sea journey will operate from 12 Mar-26 May.
Wine cruise in France A NEW Wine Appreciation themed charter cruise has been unveiled by European Waterways. The new addition will sail AugOct on Rosa, cruising through Bordeaux in France - CLICK HERE.
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Cruise Weekly is a publication of Cruise Weekly Pty Ltd ABN 73 123 041 485. All content fully protected by copyright. Please obtain written permission to reproduce any material. While every care has been taken in the preparation of the newsletter no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. Information is published in good faith to stimulate independent investigation of the matters canvassed. Responsibility for editorial comment is taken by Bruce Piper.
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